Kemo Memories
by EagleRaviEMT
Summary: A young caretaker starts his career by accepting a job offer at a massive new zoo that is opening, known as Japari Park. Eager to work with animals, Makoto, a caretaker-in-training quickly learns how much his friends mean to him as he sets out on his new life among his friends. What he doesn't know is just how magical his new career will be.
1. Chapter 1

Kemo Memories Chapter One:

On a fairly large-sized transport boat, a young man makes his way through a large crowd of uniformed employees to an assigned seat, bearing his name on it: "Makoto". The young man sits down and removes his sun hat, revealing his brown-blonde hair. He rubs his eyes a bit as he yawns, clearly only half awake. It is still early morning, as most on the boat seem to share a similar level of energy, yet everyone tries to quickly make their way to their seats.

At the front of the boat's cabin, a green-haired girl grabs a microphone from her belt, and an overhead tone sounds before she begins to speak.

"Guides, caretakers, medical and support staff, may I please have your attention!" she announces. "My name is Mirai, and I am one of the park guides who will be assisting with your training. For caretakers and guides, I will also be overseeing your daily duties. I hope to get to know each and every one of you as you begin your exciting career at Japari Park!" There is some light applause and excited rabble as Mirai smiles and waves to the group before finding her own seat.

Another overhead announcement sounds. "Please find your seats, the boat is now departing from shore. Please stand clear of all closing doors." And with that, the boat sets off from the dock. Some family members and friends wave from the shoreline as the boat departs.

Makoto reaches into his sling bag and pulls out a small book, which says "Journal" on it.

"I suppose there's a lot of time to pass, I may as well start now..." Makoto says quietly as he pages to the first blank page of the journal...

"Day One:

This is really silly, I've never written in a journal of any kind before in my life... A friend of mine bought this for me on a whim before I left the mainland for my new job as a caretaker. I guess how I should start this is with an introduction, of sorts? Umm... My name is Makoto. I've spent a good portion of my life living in a small suburb on the mainland, and I've always been interested in animals. I've held out a long time for a job helping animals, and that's when I heard about an amazing place called Japari Park. It is being designed as a massive zoo, spanning across many islands, with lots of attractions. It sounded too good to be true, and they were hiring everyone they could! As I write this, I am sitting on a boat with many of my future coworkers. We are on a fairly long trip from the mainland to the main island of Japari Park, called Park Central. Among us is a girl named Mirai, who is the representative for the park. She is a park guide, and one of the most knowledgeable and respected employees of the park. She will be our supervisor, as caretakers, and I'm still a bit nervous about talking to her. I don't want to make myself seem dumb if I say something wrong! I'm still so excited and nervous in general about all of this. I kind of just packed all of my things and left for this new life. I will get vacation time, of course, but it's still a big change for a guy from the suburbs. Still, a zoo on a beautiful set of islands... What's not to love? I hear there's even dormant volcanoes there!-"

The writing stops abruptly, as Makoto turns to realize that Mirai is now hovering over him.

"Ah? Already so eager to write down all your feelings, I see?" Mirai says with a smile, making Makoto get a bit flustered.

"U-Um! Yes! I-I'm very excited!" Makoto says as he covers the journal, but it seems as if Mirai had been reading for a bit of time already.

"Don't worry, Makoto. You'll do fine! You seem like you love animals quite a bit." Mirai speaks calmly with a reassuring smile, gently placing her hand on Makoto's shoulder.

Makoto looks back at her a few moments before smiling and giving a happy nod in return. "Thank you, Mirai..!"

Mirai gives a smile and nod in return before continuing on to meet some of the others.

"She's so friendly..!" Makoto smiles a little as he holds his journal close against him.

It's not long before the mainland's shores drift from sight, now covered by the long waves of the ocean.

"Your attention please, lunch will be served momentarily. Please have your requests ready on the screen." An automated message states, as a small touchscreen slides out from the back of the chair in front of Makoto.

"Ah, wow! This is so high-tech!" Makoto plays around with the touchscreen a bit, paging through the menu before settling on a sandwich and soup, and a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Cheesecake has always been Makoto's favorite, after all.

After a short while of Makoto playing with the screen, it folds back into the seat.

"A-Aww..!" Just then, one of the servers comes up with a plate with a sandwich and a bowl of soup, gently setting it down in front of Makoto.

"Here you are, sir. Please enjoy." The server says and bows politely.

"Oh! One moment, how much do I owe you?" Makoto asks, digging for his wallet in his sling bag.

"S-Sir, there's no charge. It's all complimentary!"

Makoto's eyes widen a bit. "R-Really? Amazing!" He grabs the sandwich and happily takes a bite before sipping some of the soup, clearly quite satisfied as he finishes the soup and sandwich quickly, then starts on the cheesecake. "Ah, I forgot to eat breakfast... No wonder!" He smiles a bit to himself, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Hmm... It's been a while, I wonder if we're any closer..." Makoto says as he looks out the window, watching the horizon for a bit before he finds himself slowly getting sleepy. It's not long before he drifts off completely. "Too much food... Too comfy..." He says as he rolls over onto his side in the chair.

As Makoto sleeps, he has a strange dream about the volcanoes he read about. They're... Erupting? This can't be right, where is everyone? The islands look abandoned, but the animals still need help! As Makoto runs towards the animal enclosures, he is suddenly tripped and rolls over to see a gigantic shadow over him and slowly closing in on him.

Just then, Makoto awakens to Mirai gently shaking his shoulder. "Makoto! Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep..." She says with a slight look of concern. Makoto looks around the seats, noticing they're all empty.

"I-I am... I'm sorry, I had a nightmare. It must have just been because I was so nervous, haha..." He blinks and looks around some more. "Where is everyone?" he asks Mirai before looking to one side and seeing a small dock that the boat is moored at.

"Ah, well... We arrived half an hour ago, but... You were asleep and seemed comfortable up until the last bit. I didn't want to wake you." She gives another reassuring smile before extending her hand to Makoto, helping him up as she walks with him off of the boat and onto the dock. "Welcome to Japari Park!" Mirai exclaims happily to him as he looks eagerly at the beautiful view from the dock. A huge island lay before him covered in verdant green. Steep volcanic mountains climb one side while the sea softly sweeps against the beaches on the other. In the middle, a huge city appears to be under construction, the tower cranes visible all the way from the beach. "So, what do you think, Makoto?" Mirai smiles as she walks with him to go collect his belongings from the cargo area.

"I-It's... Incredible!" Makoto gleams happily as he follows close behind.

"I'm so glad! Now, shall we get your belongings? Oh, and I made certain to take extra care regarding your special cargo!" Mirai smiles cheerfully as they reach the baggage area, where the other employees have been gathered collecting their items.

End Chapter One 


	2. Chapter 2

Kemo Memories Chapter Two:

Mirai walks Makoto over to one side of the bustling baggage area. The noise of excited chatter is the only break between the calm waves of the waters brushing against the nearby shore. The various employees are all quickly collecting their belongings and moving on to the shore. There, a bright orange bus with animal adornments is parked and waiting to give employees a ride to their respective areas. Upon closer inspection, the cab appears to resemble the head of a tiger. Makoto smiles a bit at this before returning to the task at hand, as Mirai walks him to a table with a female boat crew member.

"May I please have your name?" She asks Makoto with a smile, already getting Mirai's baggage for her. It seems that the green-haired guide is quite well-known around the park.

"My name is Makoto." Makoto replies, and the crew member turns to look through a neatly organized collection of bags and belongings. She eventually returns with two large duffel bags, struggling a bit to get them on the table, and some books relating to animals and animal care fall out. Makoto quickly jumps in to lend her a hand picking up both the bags and the fallen books, and she scans the bags with a small hand-held tablet. There are a couple of soft beeps as she does so, before a pleasant jingle to indicate that the bags are good to go.

"Ah, my apologies sir, your last bit of baggage was kept inside, for obvious reasons. Let me go get her now." The crew member steps into the cabin of the boat a moment before returning with a medium-sized tan kennel. Inside of it, a light pink ribbon can be seen around a fluffy grey coat of fur. A series of excited mews emanate from inside as the kennel is brought to Makoto. "Here she is! She did quite well in transport. She slept almost the entire time." The woman says with a polite smile.

"Ah, Cookie! Thank you so much, I appreciate you taking such good care of her!" Makoto smiles as he opens her kennel and gently pulls the small grey cat out, holding her close in his arms and petting her a few moments. Even though it was only a few hours, the trip seemed longer, and surely even more so to Cookie. Cookie cutely meows and purrs while she rubs into Makoto's arms tenderly.

Mirai smiles softly as she walks up beside Makoto. "My, my... Your friend certainly does love you. That is truly something wonderful to see." She nods and gently pats Makoto on the head, making him blush slightly and smile as well. "May I pet her?" She asks as she watches from a short distance.

"Ah, yes! Cookie is such a sweet girl. I found her one day while I was out camping. It was the middle of nowhere, and she didn't seem like she had anyone to care for her." Makoto recalls to Mirai as he scratches softly behind Cookie's ears, making her bob her head a little and rub into his hands. "Of course! She loves to be pet, especially on her ears!" Makoto holds Cookie out a little so that Mirai may also pet on her. Mirai softly strokes along Cookie's back, and she stretches out a bit, clearly enjoying the loving attention. After a while of reuniting with her, Makoto gently tucks her back into her kennel with her soft, plush blanket.

"Now that we have all your things, we should go to meet with the others. The busses are picking employees up every ten minutes or so. They will take you to your assigned areas for training. You are a caretaker, so you'll be with me. Our first stop is to Park Central. We will be going to attend one of the lectures put on by some of the leadership and myself, so I trust you will be on your best behavior!" Mirai winks at Makoto with a playful smile.

"I-I see.." Makoto drifts a moment in thought, clearly a bit nervous before jumping to a reaction. "O-Of course! I look forward to it!" Makoto cheerfully smiles as he lifts his bags up and onto his shoulders before picking up Cookie. It's not long before he realizes that this may have been a bad idea, as the bags drag along the dock. "T-Too heavy... Why did I pack so many books?" Makoto says with an overwhelmed expression on his face.

Mirai leans over a bit, quickly pulling one of the bags up and onto her shoulder with ease. It seems she's quite used to this. "Makoto... You should be careful! It won't do you any good if you get hurt, you know?" She says with a stern look, but then gives a small smile. "I'll help you to the bus, okay?"

Makoto gives a quick nod as he follows close by Mirai, eventually making it up the dock ramp and to the waiting bus. Makoto gently loads one of the bags from his shoulders while Mirai loads the other for him. Mirai and Makoto close the doors to the trunk, then board the bus and take their seats. Makoto seems quite excited that he has one of the front seats. "Oh! You can see so much from here!" He exclaims happily, looking out the window as he sets Cookie's kennel on his lap. Cookie seems to be fast asleep once more, clearly still tired from the long journey.

Mirai smiles at Makoto's eagerness as the bus doors close, and the bus departs from the dock. "Now, Makoto, the bus driver will take both Cookie and your bags to the dormitory where you will be staying. Our stop should be just a ways down this road." She gives a soft nod as she confirms this with the bus driver, a younger woman wearing a safari uniform and cap, who returns the sentiment. Mirai stands up and takes her microphone, holding onto one of the rails as an overhead tone plays. "Attention caretakers: We will be heading to Park Central, to the main auditorium specifically, for a welcome presentation by the senior park staff." Mirai goes on to reiterate the same information she explained to Makoto.

The employees on board all excitedly chat with one-another about the presentation. Some ask one-another questions, others seem to inquire about who the leadership of this massive park are. One of the more stubborn remarks comes from a younger male caretaker in the back mentioning something about Mirai being "hot". This is met with a rather sharp glance from Mirai, as the caretaker's face goes stark white. He sags low in his chair, remaining that way for a few minutes after, as an awkward silence grips the air. Makoto struggles to stifle a chuckle at the situation, but then resorts to enjoying the quiet for a moment.

Makoto reaches into his sling bag, retrieving a small bird field identification guide, which he begins to page through. Makoto always did love birds, especially the bright and colorful ones. He skips through to find a Northern Cardinal, one of his favorites. Mirai calmly glances over from her seat across from him, looking at the pages as well when not monitoring the rowdier crowd near the back of the bus.

A few more minutes pass by, as the bus drives through large construction zones, where huge equipment lifts support beams and even entire walls up to be fitted onto the buildings above. On the nearly complete buildings, solar panels are steadily being affixed to shades and rooftops. A few caretakers make remark of this, and upon hearing so, Mirai's glasses shine.

"That's right! Japari Park's aim is to be 100% self-sustainable and eco-friendly! By doing our part, we can help conservation efforts everywhere!" She makes a peace sign and giggles a bit, making Makoto chuckle a little.

"That's really impressive! It's all so high tech here!" Makoto exclaims, a few other caretakers in the middle of the bus also excitedly chatting about the prospects of an entirely self-sustainable zoo. Especially one the size of not one, but many cities.

The bus soon rumbles to a stop in front of a large glass-front building, the roof of which slopes the further in the building you go. The bus doors swing open, and the automatic doors for the auditorium slide open with signs flashing "Welcome new caretakers! Please find your seats." atop them. Makoto gently pets Cookie once more before he makes his way off of the bus and into the auditorium. In the chaos of everyone disembarking, it would seem that Mirai had vanished. However, the presentation was starting soon, and Makoto did not want to be late. He quickly makes his way down an aisle, finding an open aisle seat about halfway down the aisle.

After everyone has found their seats, the lights in the amphitheater slowly dim. It would seem even the glass tints to halt daylight from entering, as a large screen turns on. "Welcome caretakers, to Japari Park. You all are here for your love and passion of working with animals, and we are very grateful to have you." The male voiceover speaks while the video begins playing, explaining a bit about the goals and layout of the park. It flashes to a map, beginning to identify the many different regions, and some animals that will be located in each. It then gives an artist's rendition of the park once it's opened, with guests all lining the end result of the very construction zones they just passed through. "With your help, we can be a world class institution for animal care and conservation." The video ends with the screen saying "Welcome to Japari Park" before powering down and retracting back into the ceiling.

"Hello and welcome all to Japari Park! My name is Mirai, and I am one of the senior guides who will be helping you to find your way here at the park!" Mirai's voice calls out as she walks onto the stage, presenting some more specific information to the new staff. A few others remain seated in the background, including a girl with long, dark gradient hair, wearing a lab coat.

As Makoto glances around, his eyes meet with the long-haired girl's. She seems to stare at him for quite a few moments, making him nervous as he casually tries to glance away. Eventually, her gaze returns to the stage as well. "W-Who is she, I wonder..?"

"Now then, I will just need some volunteers to demonstrate proper animal handling—" Just before Mirai can finish, there is a loud noise, and the entire building shakes. The power goes off, and emergency lighting turns on, illuminating the auditorium in a red light. People begin nervously shouting and beginning to try to run from their seats in the dimly-lit room. Makoto struggles to get beneath his chair, but stays there as he was trained to do where he lived before during these kinds of events. An alarm sounds as the shaking continues, and an overhead voice reiterates to the panicking crowd: "Please remain calm, place your hands over your head and take a crouching position underneath a sturdy object or doorway." Eventually, the shaking halts, and the regular power returns.

Mirai is still on the stage, and save for some fallen items, everything seems to be intact. She checks the audio system before she starts to speak again. "Sorry for the interruption, everyone. As I'm sure some of you are aware, we are on a series of volcanic islands, and earthquakes are a common occurrence. However, there have not been any recorded eruptions here in thousands of years. All of the volcanoes on the islands are dormant, and our environmental science team monitors them for hazards around the clock." The girl in the lab coat steps up to Mirai and whispers something into her ear, and Mirai nods before continuing. "Now, unfortunately I will have to cut the presentation short so that we can clean things up a bit. Please calmly make your way back to the front lobby, the busses will be waiting to take you to your dormitories." With that said, Mirai quickly makes her way off of the stage and out of sight.

Some employees come by to help people out of their seats, as well as to give them a map and guide book. Makoto takes one of each before proceeding to the lobby. Outside, the construction equipment has all halted operations, waiting for the all-clear apparently. The busses arrive in what seems to be a hurried fashion, and employees usher the caretakers on board quickly.

Makoto compliantly goes along, but not before taking one last look around for Mirai. "I hope that everything is alright. That was quite a quake..." Makoto says to himself before climbing onto the bus and taking a seat.

The bus screen scrolls to its stop, and the male driver makes the announcement as soon as everyone is on board. "Caretaker group A: West Dormitory, now departing." he says as the door swings shut, and the busses all set off on their way.

As the bus passes by more of the construction, a large facility is revealed in the distance, appearing to be made of concrete and glass. "What is that?" Makoto asks the bus driver, who glances a moment in the direction.

"Ah? That is the research facility. It's where the science-y employees work. I don't think I've even been inside of that building yet." The bus driver replies with a chuckle. Makoto thanks him as he looks back in the direction, then notices the volcano in the background. It looks just like the one from his dream.

"It can't be... No, I'm just imagining things, surely." Makoto gently taps his forehead, as if to wake himself back up. "It's been too long of a day. I just need some rest, I think..." He reassures himself, folding his hands over his face as he leans gently against the bar in front of his seat.

The bus continues along the roadway, following a fork that has a sign reading "West Dormitories", and an arrow pointing in the same direction of travel.

End chapter 2 


	3. Chapter 3

Kemo Memories Chapter 3:

The bus rolled along its way to the sprawling, apartment-like dormitories. Along the outskirts of the area, some staff could be seen quickly transferring animals to their new enclosures from holding areas. It seemed as if the park was at full-speed-ahead, despite the earthquake just a short while ago now.

Makoto seemed nervous, worried about Cookie, as the bus ride comes to feel like an eternity. Finally, the bus crawls to a stop in front of the tallest of the dormitories. It appears to be a large, three-story building with multiple common areas visible from the front. The first floor consisted of a small lobby with chairs and some vending machines. The second floor had what appeared to be a dining area and kitchen, and the third wasn't quite visible, but Makoto could have sworn he had seen a TV with what appeared to be video games playing on it.

The bus speaker system announces the bus' arrival, and bids everyone to have a nice day. With that, the caretakers depart the bus, and make their way inside the dormitory. Makoto hurriedly makes his way ahead of the crowd, following the signs to his dormitory.

"Third floor, room 307." Makoto reads aloud from his information packet. He quickly makes his way to the room, which unlocks once he is in close proximity.

"Welcome home!" An automated voice prompts from a speaker on the door, as Makoto looks at his badge, realizing that it's lit up the same green color as the door.

"W-Wow, you don't even have to unlock it with a key! Ah, but Cookie!" Makoto quickly opens the door to find his silly grey cat staring eagerly at him from atop the sofa nearby. She happily mews and jumps towards him, surprising him as he catches her and pets her a bit. "Thank goodness you're okay! Let's have some dinner, shall we?"

Makoto retrieves a can of cat food from his belongings and empties it into Cookie's bowl, setting it down for her before getting a microwave meal out of the freezer. "It was nice of them to put the foodstuff away too. Hmm... Cheese pizza with breadsticks. That sounds good!" Makoto places the meal into the microwave, setting it to the desired time while he acquaints himself with the new surroundings.

The microwave beeps a short time later, and Makoto retrieves his food. "H-Hot!" He struggles to not drop the meal as he bobbles it over to the table, setting it down and blowing on his hands. He waits a while for it to cool, then happily enjoys his meal. "It doesn't taste as good as fresh pizza, but... I'm still just getting settled in, anyway. Tomorrow will give me a chance to get everything in order..." Makoto yawns, looking out the small patio door as he realizes that the sun appears to have already gone down.

"Hmm... Maybe I should go to bed early. Then I can get an early start tomorrow!" Makoto prepares his basics, a sleeping bag and pillow before curling up on the sofa. Cookie jumps up and curls up beside him while he pets her. Makoto watches out the patio, which faces towards the volcano. He could swear he saw a flash from it, but... No, it must just be the exhaustion from all the excitement catching up with him. Makoto closes his eyes and slowly drifts to sleep.

Silence is all that is heard for the next few hours, Makoto appears to be soundly sleeping. Suddenly, a large rumble shakes the ground. Even more violent than before. One of Makoto's still-packed bags falls on top of him, waking him up.

"Huh?! What's going on?!" Makoto looks around, quickly realizing that it's another earthquake. He grabs Cookie and puts her in her kennel, carrying her to the doorway of the room and sheltering her as best as he can. "It will be okay... It's just another quake..." At this point, it's unclear if Makoto is trying to convince Cookie or himself.

Just as the quake seems to be at its worst, the shaking stops. A bright light can be seen outside the windows, followed by a loud bang in the distance. At this point, the voices of other caretakers can be heard.

"What's happening?!" One of the caretakers asks just outside the door.

"The volcano... It's erupting! We have to go!" Another announces.

"Ah, come on Cookie... We have to go!" Makoto turns to leave, but as he goes to open the door, a light fixture falls and strikes him in the head. Poor Makoto's eyes widen as he collapses, knocked clean out by the sudden blow.

Makoto still has Cookie close to him in her kennel, determined to keep her safe even in this state. Fortunately, someone checks the room and is able to help collect the unconscious boy and his cat. "Hey, come help me! Someone got hurt!" The female caretaker calls to a male one down the hall, who runs back and helps her take Makoto down the stairs.

Outside, the sky looks as if it's on fire. Yet there's very little volcanic smoke. It almost looks like the Aurora Borealis phenomenon, a myriad of colors dancing across the sky in the background of the volcano's bright light. Even more odd, the volcano itself seems to be producing very little lava. Odd lights flash from the crater, and soon strange particles begin to fall from the sky. They reflect the lights' spectrum of colors, falling like rain, yet not accumulating on the ground.

Many staff members gather in awe at the sight before them, as they finish helping the injured out to safety. It's not long before Mirai arrives to the scene, immediately noticing the injured caretakers.

"Quickly! We need to get everyone who is hurt to the medical center. Everyone, get on the bus!" She calls out as she helps the injured onto her bus. Makoto seems to only be intermittently conscious as Mirai and one of the fellow caretakers helps him onto the bus. As it pulls away, Makoto blacks out again...

Suddenly, there is a bright light. "Makoto? Hey!" A familiar voice calls out.

Makoto feels a gentle hand upon his head, suddenly opening his eyes and gasping. "Ah! What?!" As he opens his eyes and sits up, he is in a small hospital room with Mirai and a female nurse watching over him.

Mirai gently rests Makoto back onto the bed. "It's okay, Makoto. You got hit in the head and blacked out. Everything is okay." Mirai says with a gentle smile.

"Blacked... out..? Ah, the earthquake, and the volcano... I remember now. Ah, where's Cookie?!" Makoto inquires as he looks around, somewhat frantic.

"Cookie is fine. She was returned to your dormitory once it was safe to do so. There is something I should tell you though..." Mirai looks as if she's in deep thought for a few moments, as if trying to word something. "Cookie is... a bit different from how you remember her."

"What? What do you mean by that, Mirai?" Makoto tilts his head slightly. He starts to adjust a bandage on his head where he got hit, eventually removing it altogether. "What time is it, even?"

The nurse looks at her watch a moment. "It's four in the afternoon. You were out for a while, but everything seems okay. Still, you should go right back and rest." The nurse reaffixes the bandage to Makoto's head with a slightly annoyed look. "And leave this on your head for another day or so!"

Makoto winces a little as the bandage is adjusted. "O-Okay... Ah, Mirai, what did you mean before?" He returns his gaze to Mirai.

"It would be best to show you, Makoto..." She says and blinks a little as she helps Makoto back up and out of the room.

Makoto quickly regains his bearings, following Mirai out of the medical center and walking with her back to the dormitories. It appears that the dormitories were only a short walk away, but Mirai still insists that Makoto take it slowly and allow her to help him.

"Don't overdo it, okay?" Mirai looks at Makoto, still a bit worried.

"Okay... Thank you, Mirai." Makoto smiles to her, then gazes up at the mountain in the distance. It still seems to be active, but there's no lava of any kind. "Mirai... What happened?"

"I'm just glad you're okay, Makoto. Fortunately, no one was severely hurt." She looks at the mountain briefly before looking back at Makoto. "We still don't fully know. I'm going to be going to look into it more myself as soon as I drop you off." She replies, assisting Makoto back to the dormitory.

Mirai walks Makoto to his dormitory, opening the door for him and walking him in. Immediately, something is amiss. In addition to everything being repaired and neatly put away, there appears to be... a girl sitting on the couch and eagerly watching the door. Even more strange, this girl has... cat ears?! She appears to be in a dark grey outfit of some kind, very reminiscent of Makoto's own cat.

Makoto jumps back a bit. "W-Who is this girl- Uwah?!" The girl smiles before playfully pouncing at Makoto, nearly knocking him to the ground as he catches her as best as he can and sets her down.

"Welcome home Makoto!" the catgirl calls out happily.

"Makoto... This is Cookie. When the volcano erupted last night, something truly spectacular happened. All the animals that were in the park at the time somehow became... Animal girls." As Mirai says this, she seems to be drooling a bit, clearly excited before snapping back to all seriousness. "Anyway! We don't fully understand what happened, but we are looking into it. For the time being, I've asked Cookie to look after you!"

Cookie grins as she hugs Makoto tightly to her. "I'll do my best!"

"W-Wait, how are you able to talk? Isn't this all confusing for you too?" Makoto asks her, blushing and trying to wiggle free of the embrace shyly, not quite sure how to feel. "I-I think that blow to my head was too much..." Makoto rubs his head a little as he tries to process everything

"Ah, I picked up on it pretty quickly! Some of the others helped me, actually! It's been almost a whole day since it happened, you know." Cookie says as she sticks her tongue out at him with a wink. "I've already put some of your things away. Mirai was kind enough to help me figure out the hard stuff! Of course, I remember a lot of things from before, too!" Cookie nods excitedly, but seems a bit concerned at the mention of Makoto's injury. "Makoto! Is your head okay?"

"He should be okay, Cookie, but I am leaving him in your care for the time." Mirai briefly interjects before turning to Makoto. "Makoto, when things settle down a bit, I will come back to get you and the other caretakers. Please rest a bit before then, as we have a lot of things to discuss. We are going to need everyone to help who can." Mirai gently pats both Makoto and Cookie before putting her hat back on and taking her leave.

"Bye Mirai! Thank you!" Cookie cheerfully waves and closes the door, then turns back to Makoto, who is still quite confused.

"Cookie... I still can't believe all this is happening..." Makoto sits down on the couch, which prompts Cookie to crawl onto the couch beside him, making him blush and become more flustered. He tries to avoid seeming rude, holding his hand out, but not sure whether to pet her or not. "M-May I..?"

"It's okay! It's very different for me too, but Makoto is here, and that makes it better!" She twitches her ears as she looks at his hand. "Oh? You don't have to ask!" She smiles and rubs her head into his hand, smiling happily at him.

Makoto, in turn, blushes and pets Cookie's head and ears. He continues for a while as he closes his eyes, slowly dozing off a bit while the catgirl rests beside him.

Makoto twitches a bit in his sleep, seemingly having a nightmare. He finds himself at the base of the mountain, and as he turns around, he is confronted by a feminine-shaped shadow with glowing eyes. He tries to run from it, but trips and falls as it approaches, he tries to crawl away but is eventually bound in the shadows. The feminine shadow moves closer to him, eventually holding her hand out towards him, and the dream fades to black as Makoto is awoken to find Cookie looking down at him.

"Mako! Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep..." Cookie looks at Makoto with a slight look of concern. She appears to have an apron on, and there is a strong burning smell in the air of the dorm.

"Huh?! Again? Ah, I'm okay... Just very strange dreams... Ah, what's that smell?" Makoto asks curiously, looking around.

"Oh! I'm making some pancakes! I read a book about cooking while you slept!" Cookie giggles a bit and cheerfully smiles, twirling around before returning to the stove.

"Y-You know how to cook?!" Makoto appears quite confused, slowly standing and looking over her.

"Hmm? Yeah! It's not that difficult, actually! You just put things on here, turn the knobs until they get hot!" Cookie says with a proud expression, she seems to be adapting to her new form, gradually, anyway.

Unfortunately, the pancakes are burnt black, and one appears to be.. on fire?! "Gyah! Cookie, look out!" Makoto calls out as he pushes her away to safety before pouring water from his bottle onto the fire. Unfortunately, it seems there may have also been oil in the pan, causing it to flash over. The overhead sprinkler system eventually engages, setting off the fire alarm for the whole dorm, but extinguishing the stove without anyone getting hurt.

Soon there is a knock at the door, which slowly opens as Mirai peeks her head in. "Ah, it seems you two have had quite a.. busy morning.. I will call for the custodial staff to clean up the mess, and I'll have a caretaker bring some breakfast by for you, Cookie." Mirai giggles and steps in. "Makoto, I hate to interrupt, but we have a lot to do today. I need all of my caretakers who are able to work." She nods, her expression changing to a bit more of a serious one.

"Oh, of course! Let me get my bag... Cookie, are you okay here for the time being?" Makoto looks at her, still a bit unsure.

"Mako has to go to work now?" Cookie blinks and gets something out of the fridge, it seems she even made Makoto a bento box lunch, fortunately just a tuna sandwich this time. She hands it to him with a smile. "Have a good day at work, Mako! I'll be here when you get home!" She smiles and gives him a tight hug.

"Uwah! T-That's so thoughtful! Thank you, Cookie!" Makoto smiles and takes the lunch box, then gets his sling bag and steps out with Mirai, heading towards her bus. Cookie stands and waves in the doorway before closing the door behind them.

"Where are we heading Mirai?" Makoto asks, head tilted a bit.

"We are going to go to the forest just outside of Park Central. We're using it as a preparation area before we send our caretakers out to their areas. Our plan is to try and get to know these animal girls, or 'friends' as we are calling them, as best as we can. The research team will be in charge of finding and introducing us to them. From there, our plan is to assign caretakers to help them to adapt to these new changes." Mirai explains, starting the bus and closing the doors as they begin to pull away and off in the direction of the forest.

End Chapter 3 


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